Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Facebook has boughtOculus VR, the
company at the forefront of virtual reality products aimed at the consumer and
de facto mascot for the power of crowd sourcing.

The real question is, what does VR have to do with social
media? Does Mark Zuckerberg expect us
all to start running around with VR headsets poking fingers at the empty air
screaming "Like!" and "Friend!"

"... we're
going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a
court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all
over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on
goggles in your home."

Zuckerberg the futurist or maybe it's more like Zuckerberg
coming to the realization that Facebook as a service is losing relevance.

Enter Facebook, the brand.
Remember the failedHTC First? It was the short-lived
Smartphone that forced users into the Facebook ecosystem whether they wanted it
or not. It was the first indication that
the Facebook bandwagon was losing a wheel.

As early as October of last year the company warned
advertisers that "organic reach" will eventually be
inconsequential. "Organic reach,"
by the way, is the number of Facebook
page views that don't come from your "Fans" or "Friends"
but rather from sources like search engines and shared links outside of the
service.

That means advertisers have to work harder to attract
eyeballs as veteran users become increasingly jaded against ads they have no
interest in. Not good news for a free
service that depends on ad revenue.

There's little doubt that many of Zuckerberg's visions will
come to pass but whether they're all Facebook properties remains to be
seen. It's far more likely that this
move is meant to elevate Facebook the brand above Facebook the service.

Much like Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility in 2011
it's less about owning a space than creating a halo effect around the
brand. In Google's case, they didn't
need to dominate the Android device market to dictate what it looked like. Mission accomplished and now Motorola
Mobility is on its way to Lenovo sans a few patents safely kept in Google's
breast pocket.

We're entering what could be called the "Post-services"
era. It's more about the halo around a
brand than the products themselves.
History is on Zuckerberg's side.
Nobody thinks of Google as just a search engine anymore and Zuckerberg
is betting that Facebook can evolve beyond social media.

Much to the dismay (or
the delight) of IP attorneys everywhere we may soon view online Icons like
Facebook, Google and Twitter the same way we look at Ford, Chevy and Toyota. You'll be picking brand not product.

But fear not social media addicts. Facebook the service will always remain a
place to jeopardize future job prospects by posting embarrassing videos of
yourself.